India and the US have urged Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, while reiterating the threat posed by al Qaeda, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Haqqani network, Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday.
The United States has also said that it is committed to India’s inclusion as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, days after the General Assembly adopted a negotiating text for the long-pending reforms of the powerful wing of the world body.
In a joint statement issued after the conclusion of the first India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, the two countries reiterated their position on “the threat posed by al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, D-Company and Haqqani network and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in South Asia”.
They also condemned “the July 27, 2015 terrorist attack in Gurdaspur in Punjab and August 5, 2015 attack in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir”. India blames Pakistan-based terrorists for both the attacks.
“This demonstrates the fact that we are determined to fight terrorism together,” Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said in response to a question at an address she made jointly with Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and US Secretary of State John Kerry and his cabinet colleague, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
India and the US are discussing some of the most complicated issues of the day, said Kerry as he and Swaraj led their high-level delegations for the dialogue.
The two countries also reaffirmed “joint commitment to a stable and sovereign Afghanistan and identify next steps”, said Kerry at the news briefing.
The senior US and Indian officials’ meeting in Washington did not single out Beijing by name, but China loomed over the talks as the United States prepares to host India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the heels of a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
US support for India’s UNSC seat:
US reaffirmed its commitment to support a permanent seat for India in United Nations Security Council.
The statement comes from the US in the backdrop of the maiden India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue which was held on Tuesday.
Despite reservations from certain quarters, including Pakistan, the US said that it supports India as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
“The US Side reaffirmed its support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member,” said the joint statement issued after the conclusion of the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.
Both sides expressed commitment in the joint statement to ensure that the Security Council continues to play an effective role in maintaining international peace and security as envisioned in the UN Charter. The agreed to “continued engagement on Security Council reform in the UN Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform”.
The statement further said that India-US partnership is a significant contributor to the peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions and around the globe.
Building on successful cooperation in Asia, the two countries welcomed continued cooperation under the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region agreed by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.